Dr. Li’s Miracle
What exactly is a miracle?
We use the term all the time, and it is even applied to
baseball teams and laundry detergents.
But do miracles really happen? Can they happen?
In Guangxi province, which is at the very bottom of China,
there was a poor village doctor named Dr. Li.
Dr. Li was a kindhearted person who never refused to provide medical care,
even if his patients couldn’t afford it. And most patients in that part of China
couldn’t afford medical care.
Dr. Li would pay for their medicine from his own funds, and waive his fees when necessary.
Needless to say, he was much loved in the village, not because people could get away without paying,
but because Dr. Li’s kind heart and compassion for his neighbors was so clear.
But in 2008, Dr. Li suddenly became a patient himself. He had kidney disease. The only solution
was an operation that cost US$40,000: an impossible sum for a country doctor.
Because he had used his own money to help others, Dr. Li had none for himself.
It so happened that we sent a TV crew to do a story about Dr. Li. Even though he was just
a village physician, word of his compassion had gotten out, and we thought he would be a great subject
for our “Moving Mountains” program, which featured Chinese people who were selflessly helping others.
When the TV crew went to visit Dr. Li, he was hospitable, but shy. He felft awkward about being on TV.
On the last day of shooting, Dr. Li told our crew that he planned to stop paying for the medical treatment that was
keeping him alive. He’d already borrowed money from his family and could see no point
in going further into debt, since he was destined to die soon enough anyhow, because he
couldn’t afford the kidney transplant.
He had enough money for 2 more weeks.
Back at our office, we received the news with shock and anxiety.
This man, who had originally been the subject of an uplifting story on a TV show,
was now our neighbor, a neighbor with a real problem.
He was facing death in a matter of weeks.
We knew it would probably be impossible to raise $40,000 for the surgery, but decided
that we would do what we could. We took a collection among the staff at our office—
about 20 people.
And then we mentioned on another of our TV programs that we had done this, and
suggested that if anyone else felt moved to donate, then they could send the money to our charity.
I hoped that we could collect enough money to keep Dr. Li alive at least for a few more months.
By the time we had received $115,000 we had to tell people to stop donating.
We had more money than we needed to provide Dr. Li with his kidney surgery.
So we sent him and his wife up to Beijing–the first time he had ever been outside of Guangxi province.
Dr. Li’s sister donated a kidney, and he underwent the operation.
In the days following the surgery, Dr. Li accepted Christ. Before that, he’d never thought much
about religion or why people help each other.
After he left the hospital, Dr. Li went back to his home and resumed his normal life,
caring for the poor villagers in his remote mountain region.
But because we’d collected so much money, we had to figure out what to do with it.
We offered donors a choice to get their money back, or to designate their donation for
another purpose.
Most of them chose to continue supporting Dr. Li and his work in the village.
Over the past few years, with their support, Dr. Li has been able to rebuild his clinic, which was falling down,
and add a few vital medical tools so he could better treat his patients.
The money that is left is used to supplement the cost of medicine and patient’s fees.
Oh, yes, and Dr. Li is now holding Bible studies in his home. People come from all over the region
to learn about God’s love for His people.
Dr. Li is doing well with his new kidney. He believes he received a miracle.
I know that something that seemed impossible suddenly became possible—and
the provision was abundant beyond our expectations.
I know that a man who had no knowldege of God–but was mirroring God’s heart for the poor—
had his life radically altered.
It’s not a baseball team or a laundry detergent, but it just might be a miracle.
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